Research Article
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The intelligence utilization of information, communication, and telecommunication technology companies: The case of Huawei

Year 2025, Issue: 15, 15 - 46, 30.06.2025

Abstract

This study examines how Huawei Corporation can be utilized as an intelligence tool in the field of information, communication, and telecommunication technologies. Analyzing Huawei's relationships with the People's Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, and intelligence-security services, the research evaluates the potential risks this connection may pose in the context of international intelligence. Covering the period from 2008 to 2022, the study addresses allegations that Huawei engaged in espionage on behalf of China, sanctions imposed on the company, and security concerns. Conducted using qualitative research methods, the study collects data from electronic newspapers, think tank reports, court records, and academic sources; additionally, expert opinions were gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Content analyses conducted using the MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2020 software reveal how Huawei's role in global information networks aligns with China’s cyber sovereignty strategy. Espionage allegations against Huawei, security risks, and their international implications are examined in detail. Security vulnerabilities in Huawei's telecommunications infrastructure have been identified as potential cyber threats in the intelligence reports of various countries. In particular, backdoors detected in Huawei equipment have been cited as national security risks. Furthermore, due to Huawei’s obligations under China’s National Intelligence Law, it has been found that the company could contribute to China's intelligence-gathering processes, which has been perceived as an international security issue by several states, especially the United States and European countries. The study's findings emphasize how companies in the field of information, communication, and telecommunication technologies can become counterintelligence challenges in intelligence activities.

References

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  • Amnesty International. (2021). The Pegasus project report. London: Amnesty Tech.
  • Balding, C., & Clarke, D. (2020). Who owns Huawei?. Harvard Kennedy School. Cambridge, MA.
  • Bamford, J. (2002). Body of secrets: Anatomy of the ultra-secret National Security Agency. New York: Anchor Books.
  • Bernhardt, D. (2003). Competitive intelligence: How to acquire and use corporate intelligence and counter-intelligence. London: Pearson Education Limited.
  • Cadwalladr, C. (2019). The Cambridge Analytica files. The Guardian. Erişim adresi (2020): https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/cambridge-analytica-files
  • Cambridge Dictionary. (2025). Intelligence. Erişim adresi (9 Ocak 2025): https://dictionary.cambridge.org/tr/s%C3%B6zl%C3%BCk/ingilizce/intelligence
  • Creemers, R. (2021). China’s conception of cyber sovereignty. Journal of Cyber Policy, 6(1), 87-102.
  • Deibert, R. (2019). Reset: Reclaiming the internet for civil society. Toronto: House of Anansi Press.
  • Demers, J. C. (2018). China’s Non-traditional espionage against the United States: The threat and potential policy responses.
  • Fagel, A. (2020). Cryptographic espionage: The Rubicon case. Journal of Intelligence Studies, 23(4), 67-88.
  • Feldstein, S. (2019). The global expansion of AI surveillance. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Washington, D.C.
  • France 24. (2022). What they’re doing is called distraction: Chinese spam dilutes Twitter feeds on protests. Erişim adresi (2 Mart 2024): https://observers.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20221202-what-they-re-doing-is-called-distraction-chinese-spam-dilutes-twitter-feeds-on-zero-covid-protests
  • Gaddis, J. L. (2002). On strategic surprise. Hoover Digest. Erişim adresi: https://www.hoover.org/research/strategic-surprise
  • Groll, E. (2020). The spy in your pocket: Mobile surveillance technologies. Foreign Policy, 134, 128-144.
  • Hillman, J., & Sacks, D. (2021). China’s digital silk road: Strategic implications. Center for Strategic and International Studies. Washington, D.C.
  • House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. (2012). Investigative report on U.S. national security issues posed by Huawei and ZTE.
  • Huawei. (2021). All Products and Solutions. Erişim adresi (28 Şubat 2023): https://e.huawei.com/en/products-and-solutions/
  • Inkster, N. (2019). The Huawei dilemma: Technology and geopolitics. London: RUSI.
  • IoT Analytics. (2024). State of IoT 2024: Number of connected IoT devices growing 13% to 18.8 billion globally. Erişim adresi (31 Ocak 2025): https://iot-analytics.com/number-connected-iot-devices/
  • Kahn, D. (2001). An historical theory of intelligence. Intelligence and national security, 16(3), 79-92.
  • Kania, E. B. (2019). Made in China 2025 and the future of Chinese innovation. The Brookings Institution. Washington, D.C.
  • Karmazin, A. (2023). China’s promotion of cyber sovereignty beyond the West. Š. Kolmašová & R. Reboredo (Ed.), Norm diffusion beyond the West: Agents and sources of leverage (s. 61–76) içinde. Cham: Springer.
  • Kaska, K., Beckvard, H., & Minárik, T. (2019). Huawei, 5G and China’s National Security Law. NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. Tallinn.
  • Kennedy, S. (2018). China’s risky drive into advanced manufacturing. Center for Strategic and International Studies. Washington, D.C.
  • Laskai, L. (2018). Why China’s ‘Made in China 2025’ strategy matters. Council on Foreign Relations. New York.
  • Lee, K. (2020). AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the new world order. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  • Lepido, K. (2019). Vodafone found hidden backdoors in Huawei equipment. Bloomberg. Erişim adresi (2021): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-30/vodafone-found-hidden-backdoors-in-huawei-equipment
  • Lowenthal, M. M. (2009). Intelligence: From secrets to policy. Washington, DC: SAGE Publications.
  • Marczak, B., Scott-Railton, J., vd. (2021). NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware: A technical analysis. Citizen Lab.
  • McCain, J. S. (2018). National defense authorization act for fiscal year 2019 conference report, H.R. 5515, 283.
  • Pancevski, B. (2020). U.S. officials say Huawei can covertly access telecom networks. The Wall Street Journal. Erişim adresi (5 Mart 2022): https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-officials-say-huawei-can-covertly-access-telecom-networks-11581452256
  • Reuters. (2023). European countries who put curbs on Huawei 5G equipment. Erişim adresi (20 Eylül 2023): https://www.reuters.com/technology/european-countries-who-put-curbs-huawei-5g-equipment-2023-09-28/
  • Segal, A. (2020). China, cyber sovereignty, and global internet governance. Foreign Affairs, 99(3), 113-130.
  • Steele, R. D. (2007). Open source intelligence. L. K. Johnson (Ed.), Handbook of intelligence studies (s. 129-147) içinde. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Triolo, P., & Webster, G. (2017). China’s cyber governance model. New America. Washington, D.C.
  • Triolo, P., Allison, K., & Hillman, J. (2020). China’s digital silk road: Implications for global technology competition. CSIS Report. Washington, D.C.
  • Türk Dil Kurumu. (2025). İstihbarat. Erişim adresi (9 Ocak 2025): https://sozluk.gov.tr/
  • United States District Court Eastern District of New York. (2019, 24 Ocak). Cr. No. 18-457 (S-2) (AMD)
  • Wakabayashi, D., & Rappeport, A. (2018). Huawei CFO Arrested in Canada for extradition to the U.S. New York Times.
  • Warner, M. (2008). Intelligence as risk shifting. P. Gill, S. Marrin, & M. Phythian (Ed.), Intelligence theory: Key questions and debates (s. 54-72) içinde. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Wen, Y. (2017). The rise of Chinese transnational ICT corporations: The case of Huawei (Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi), Simon Fraser University).
  • Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2021). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
  • Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism. New York: PublicAffairs.

Bilgi, iletişim ve haberleşme teknolojileri şirketlerinin istihbarat amaçlı kullanımı: Huawei örneği

Year 2025, Issue: 15, 15 - 46, 30.06.2025

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Huawei Şirketi’nin bilgi, iletişim ve haberleşme teknolojileri alanında bir istihbarat aracı olarak nasıl kullanılabileceğini incelemektedir. Huawei’nin Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti, Çin Komünist Partisi ve istihbarat-güvenlik servisleriyle olan ilişkisini analiz eden araştırma, bu bağlantının uluslararası istihbarat bağlamında doğurabileceği riskleri değerlendirmektedir. 2008-2022 yıllarını kapsayan çalışma, Huawei’nin Çin adına casusluk yaptığına dair iddiaları, şirkete yönelik yaptırımları ve güvenlik endişelerini ele almaktadır. Nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılarak yürütülen çalışmada, elektronik gazeteler, düşünce kuruluşu raporları, mahkeme tutanakları ve akademik kaynaklardan veri toplanmış; ayrıca yarı yapılandırılmış derinlemesine görüşmelerle uzman görüşleri alınmıştır. MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2020 programı kullanılarak yapılan içerik analizleri, Huawei’nin küresel bilgi ağları üzerindeki rolünün Çin’in siber egemenlik stratejisiyle nasıl bütünleştiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Huawei’ye yönelik casusluk iddiaları, güvenlik riskleri ve bunların uluslararası yansımaları detaylı şekilde incelenmiştir. Huawei'nin telekomünikasyon altyapısında bulunan güvenlik açıkları, çeşitli ülkelerin istihbarat raporlarında potansiyel siber tehdit olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Özellikle, Huawei ekipmanlarında tespit edilen arka kapıların ulusal güvenlik riskleri oluşturabileceği belirtilmiştir. Ayrıca, Huawei’nin Çin’in Ulusal İstihbarat Yasası kapsamındaki yükümlülükleri nedeniyle Çin hükümetinin istihbarat toplama süreçlerine katkıda bulunabileceği ve bu durumun, başta ABD ve Avrupa ülkeleri olmak üzere birçok devlet tarafından uluslararası güvenlik sorunu olarak görüldüğü tespit edilmiştir Araştırma sonuçları, bilgi, iletişim ve haberleşme teknolojileri şirketlerinin istihbarat faaliyetlerinde nasıl bir karşı istihbarat sorununa dönüşebileceğini vurgulamaktadır.

References

  • Alsop, T. (2023). Ranking of telecom infrastructure companies by brand value. Erişim adresi (11 Ocak 2025): https://www.statista.com/statistics/500041/telecom-infrastructure-brand-value/
  • Amnesty International. (2021). The Pegasus project report. London: Amnesty Tech.
  • Balding, C., & Clarke, D. (2020). Who owns Huawei?. Harvard Kennedy School. Cambridge, MA.
  • Bamford, J. (2002). Body of secrets: Anatomy of the ultra-secret National Security Agency. New York: Anchor Books.
  • Bernhardt, D. (2003). Competitive intelligence: How to acquire and use corporate intelligence and counter-intelligence. London: Pearson Education Limited.
  • Cadwalladr, C. (2019). The Cambridge Analytica files. The Guardian. Erişim adresi (2020): https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/cambridge-analytica-files
  • Cambridge Dictionary. (2025). Intelligence. Erişim adresi (9 Ocak 2025): https://dictionary.cambridge.org/tr/s%C3%B6zl%C3%BCk/ingilizce/intelligence
  • Creemers, R. (2021). China’s conception of cyber sovereignty. Journal of Cyber Policy, 6(1), 87-102.
  • Deibert, R. (2019). Reset: Reclaiming the internet for civil society. Toronto: House of Anansi Press.
  • Demers, J. C. (2018). China’s Non-traditional espionage against the United States: The threat and potential policy responses.
  • Fagel, A. (2020). Cryptographic espionage: The Rubicon case. Journal of Intelligence Studies, 23(4), 67-88.
  • Feldstein, S. (2019). The global expansion of AI surveillance. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Washington, D.C.
  • France 24. (2022). What they’re doing is called distraction: Chinese spam dilutes Twitter feeds on protests. Erişim adresi (2 Mart 2024): https://observers.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20221202-what-they-re-doing-is-called-distraction-chinese-spam-dilutes-twitter-feeds-on-zero-covid-protests
  • Gaddis, J. L. (2002). On strategic surprise. Hoover Digest. Erişim adresi: https://www.hoover.org/research/strategic-surprise
  • Groll, E. (2020). The spy in your pocket: Mobile surveillance technologies. Foreign Policy, 134, 128-144.
  • Hillman, J., & Sacks, D. (2021). China’s digital silk road: Strategic implications. Center for Strategic and International Studies. Washington, D.C.
  • House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. (2012). Investigative report on U.S. national security issues posed by Huawei and ZTE.
  • Huawei. (2021). All Products and Solutions. Erişim adresi (28 Şubat 2023): https://e.huawei.com/en/products-and-solutions/
  • Inkster, N. (2019). The Huawei dilemma: Technology and geopolitics. London: RUSI.
  • IoT Analytics. (2024). State of IoT 2024: Number of connected IoT devices growing 13% to 18.8 billion globally. Erişim adresi (31 Ocak 2025): https://iot-analytics.com/number-connected-iot-devices/
  • Kahn, D. (2001). An historical theory of intelligence. Intelligence and national security, 16(3), 79-92.
  • Kania, E. B. (2019). Made in China 2025 and the future of Chinese innovation. The Brookings Institution. Washington, D.C.
  • Karmazin, A. (2023). China’s promotion of cyber sovereignty beyond the West. Š. Kolmašová & R. Reboredo (Ed.), Norm diffusion beyond the West: Agents and sources of leverage (s. 61–76) içinde. Cham: Springer.
  • Kaska, K., Beckvard, H., & Minárik, T. (2019). Huawei, 5G and China’s National Security Law. NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. Tallinn.
  • Kennedy, S. (2018). China’s risky drive into advanced manufacturing. Center for Strategic and International Studies. Washington, D.C.
  • Laskai, L. (2018). Why China’s ‘Made in China 2025’ strategy matters. Council on Foreign Relations. New York.
  • Lee, K. (2020). AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the new world order. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  • Lepido, K. (2019). Vodafone found hidden backdoors in Huawei equipment. Bloomberg. Erişim adresi (2021): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-30/vodafone-found-hidden-backdoors-in-huawei-equipment
  • Lowenthal, M. M. (2009). Intelligence: From secrets to policy. Washington, DC: SAGE Publications.
  • Marczak, B., Scott-Railton, J., vd. (2021). NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware: A technical analysis. Citizen Lab.
  • McCain, J. S. (2018). National defense authorization act for fiscal year 2019 conference report, H.R. 5515, 283.
  • Pancevski, B. (2020). U.S. officials say Huawei can covertly access telecom networks. The Wall Street Journal. Erişim adresi (5 Mart 2022): https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-officials-say-huawei-can-covertly-access-telecom-networks-11581452256
  • Reuters. (2023). European countries who put curbs on Huawei 5G equipment. Erişim adresi (20 Eylül 2023): https://www.reuters.com/technology/european-countries-who-put-curbs-huawei-5g-equipment-2023-09-28/
  • Segal, A. (2020). China, cyber sovereignty, and global internet governance. Foreign Affairs, 99(3), 113-130.
  • Steele, R. D. (2007). Open source intelligence. L. K. Johnson (Ed.), Handbook of intelligence studies (s. 129-147) içinde. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Triolo, P., & Webster, G. (2017). China’s cyber governance model. New America. Washington, D.C.
  • Triolo, P., Allison, K., & Hillman, J. (2020). China’s digital silk road: Implications for global technology competition. CSIS Report. Washington, D.C.
  • Türk Dil Kurumu. (2025). İstihbarat. Erişim adresi (9 Ocak 2025): https://sozluk.gov.tr/
  • United States District Court Eastern District of New York. (2019, 24 Ocak). Cr. No. 18-457 (S-2) (AMD)
  • Wakabayashi, D., & Rappeport, A. (2018). Huawei CFO Arrested in Canada for extradition to the U.S. New York Times.
  • Warner, M. (2008). Intelligence as risk shifting. P. Gill, S. Marrin, & M. Phythian (Ed.), Intelligence theory: Key questions and debates (s. 54-72) içinde. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Wen, Y. (2017). The rise of Chinese transnational ICT corporations: The case of Huawei (Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi), Simon Fraser University).
  • Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2021). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
  • Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism. New York: PublicAffairs.
There are 44 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Communication Systems
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Ali Kemal Özçelik 0000-0002-3072-6350

Oğuz Göksu 0000-0002-7923-8761

Publication Date June 30, 2025
Submission Date March 11, 2025
Acceptance Date June 18, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Issue: 15

Cite

APA Özçelik, A. K., & Göksu, O. (2025). Bilgi, iletişim ve haberleşme teknolojileri şirketlerinin istihbarat amaçlı kullanımı: Huawei örneği. NOSYON: Uluslararası Toplum Ve Kültür Çalışmaları Dergisi(15), 15-46.